Yellowknife (July 26/06) - A fierce thunder and lightning storm plunged Yellowknife into darkness for at least three hours Sunday afternoon.

Severe lightning strikes damaged both NWT Power Corporation and Northland Utilities substations.

In the calm following the storm, a rainbow formed over Back Bay houseboats. Several lightning strikes Sunday evening caused a city-wide blackout that left the capital in the dark for hours. - Michele Taylor/NNSL photo

The power outages kept crews busy throughout the night, said Northland manager Jerome Babyn.

With both the NWT Power Corp and Northland caught in the blackout, it took longer than usual to restore power to the capital, Babyn said.

During the course of the evening, there were about a dozen separate outages, Babyn said.

A transformer group was hit in the Magrum Road area where about ten homes were left powerless. The electricity did not come back on until about 11 p.m.

There was also a transistor hit on Old Airport Road. That area was without power until about 2:30 a.m.

The NWT Power Corporation lost power first, around 6:35 p.m. Yellowknife, Dettah and Rae-Edzo were in the dark until 7:05 p.m., when crews managed to get the power back online.

A second outage lasted from 7:55 p.m. to 8:25 p.m.

The Power Corp's transmission system was burned out by a lightning strike at one of its substations, said Paul Campbell, associate director at the utility.

"The high winds were also a problem, as we had pieces of wood blow onto one of the pieces of equipment," he said.

The Power Corp. managed to get power up and running by 7:05 p.m., but because Northland Utilities was struck as well, the power did not return to some homes until Northland's substation had been fixed.

"It took awhile because we had to restart all parts gradually, and add them all so the system synchronized together," Campbell said.

"Then we had to make sure we got enough power together for the whole area."

Campbell spoke with several long-time Yellowknifers who said the storm was the worst they have seen in years.

Babyn agreed.

"I've been in Yellowknife seven to eight years and this was the most intense storm I've ever seen here," said Babyn.

Repairs were expected to be completed by Monday night.

"Every storm causes problems," Campbell said.

"This outage was a very tough one and not easy to restore. We have power again, but the next storm will do it again."